Israel War: find out how to prevent news about the conflict from affecting your mental health

As the situation in Israel and Gaza continues to evolve, many people far from the conflict are nevertheless exposed to countless images, stories and sounds of conflict through television reports, radio, newspapers and websites.

And this is affecting all of us, including our children. The American Psychological Association released a statement this week warning that consuming violent and traumatic news can, in itself, negatively affect our mental health.

“Psychological science tells us that fear, anxiety and traumatic stress have long-term effects on health and well-being. These impacts are also being felt by people around the world who have family and friends in the region, as well as those who are concerned about the effects of war across the world,” he says.

So how do we stay informed and connected while protecting our mental health and that of our children?

This is a question that has come up repeatedly in the context of a long list of events, such as school shootings, mass shootings, the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol, climate change, incidents of police brutality, the Covid-19 pandemic. 19 , the 9/11 terrorist attacks and natural disasters such as hurricanes and wildfires .

The chief medical correspondent of CNN , Dr. Sanjay Gupta, reached out to Dr. Gail Saltz for advice on navigating this fine line for an upcoming episode of her podcast, “ Chasing Life .” Saltz is a professor of clinical psychiatry at New York Presbyterian Hospital and Weill Cornell Medical College and host of the podcast “How Can I Help?”

Saltz said the images, in particular, are problematic because they give the impression that danger is near. “Visual images, more than something you heard or read, tend to stick in your mind like a movie. And they can become intrusive images that you can’t get out of your head,” she explained.

“And this is the problem that people are facing right now. They see something; It’s horrible – it’s beyond the usual human experience of seeing violence between humans – in such a way, and it intrudes on their minds in such a way that they can’t concentrate on work, in such a way that they can’t fall asleep at night. And it’s distressing. And that causes a general excitement in the brain and then in the body,” she said.

She explained that as a physiological response to these images and stories, the sympathetic nervous system kicks in. “That sympathetic nervous system says, ‘Danger! Danger!’ And you feel nervous, anxious.” It’s well documented that if you stay anxious for too long, you start to feel sad, which can lead to depression, she says.

And it’s very easy to feel anxious for a long time amid this technological and media scenario.

“This newfound ability to see these terrible visual images – which is really different from 10, 20 years ago – and to have them constantly available, is really harmful, especially for children, but also for teenagers and adults,” she highlighted.

The psychiatrist said some people are more vulnerable than others to developing an acute stress reaction or even post-traumatic stress disorder from the constant stream of images and stories.

“People who are closer to the real events – obviously, if you are there, or if your family is there, it touches in a more direct way. But even people who suffer from this can develop deeper problems, especially people who have a previous mental health problem, such as an anxiety or mood disorder, and people who have suffered any type of trauma in the past”, he points out.

So, what can you do to take care of your mental health and that of your family? Saltz offers these tips:

Put your family on a media diet

“First and foremost would be to limit news consumption and social media,” she said. “I’m not saying, ‘Hey, crawl under a rock and have no idea what’s going on.’ I’m not advocating that, but I am advocating maybe not browsing social media where there is no trigger warning. …it’s just a steady diet of really disturbing images.”

Saltz recommends limiting your sources to one or two trusted media outlets, as well as limiting time spent on news to 30 minutes per day. “And not having that 30 minutes close to bedtime, because it inevitably agitates people and they can’t sleep. And the lack of sleep makes them more anxious the next day, so it becomes a vicious cycle.”

Limiting your child’s access to social media can be a challenge, but it is possible to some extent.

Don’t leave children in the dark

Saltz said it’s also very important to explain to your children, in an age-appropriate way, what’s going on.

“Talk to your kids and tell them what they’re asking, because what they’re imagining could be even worse, even scarier, if you’re not smart,” she said. “You don’t have to be explicit, but being reasonably honest with them can be important because our fantasy lives can be horrible too.”

She points out that it is important for parents to start the conversation. “Because you want to be a trusted source and you want them to be able to talk to you about it. And you do that by basically saying, ‘What did you hear? What do you know? How do you feel about what you heard and what you know? And let them tell and then let them ask questions.

Speaking of trusted sources, Saltz said it’s vital to help your kids learn to identify them.

Help children understand “that just because someone says it doesn’t mean it’s true. That you really need to look at the sources”, she said, remembering that this suggestion applies to news, medical advice and other information. “How can you identify a credible source? And if you see something that you really question, that’s reasonable, and you can investigate further through cross-checking.”

Tune in to your feelings (and your children’s)

“Tune in to the symptoms you may be having so you can address them,” Saltz said.

She noted that all psychiatric diagnoses are actually an extension of potentially normal feelings that have reached the level of causing dysfunction. “Everyone gets anxious sometimes. And when things are difficult and stressful, like they are now, they become more anxious and that’s normal,” she explained.

“But when you’re so anxious that you can’t concentrate… your work performance suffers, you can’t read a book because you can’t read the book, you can’t sleep at night because you’re sitting there worrying, your appetite is affected. … [Quando o nível de ansiedade] It affects your functioning in one or more important areas of your life – work, school, relationships – so it has reached the level of something that needs treatment, something that needs attention.”

Saltz said symptoms can be different in children.

“In children, anxiety disorders and mood disorders can be very different. Children may be suffering from depression and not seem depressed all the time. They have episodes of crying and being very upset or highly irritable and expressing sadness. But then they may have other moments when they seem happy, which is why depression often goes unnoticed in children and teenagers,” she explained.

Children are also more likely to “somatize” their psychological distress, Saltz said. For example, anxiety may appear as an upset stomach or a headache. “Children are more likely to express themselves this way. … They came to their pediatrician with a symptom that seems like they need a pediatrician, when in fact they are suffering from an anxiety disorder.”

She points out that 25% of children will develop an anxiety disorder at some point during adolescence, a number that has no relation to world events.

“What’s amazing and important to know about these is that they are treatable; they do not require a long period of treatment. Without treating your child, he may fall off the developmental curve for a while. …But with 10 or 12 sessions, you can get them back on the curve. And that’s why it’s so important to intervene early and for parents to understand that these are common.”

Create your stress-busting toolkit

When stress and fear activate our amygdala, the part of the brain that controls our emotional response, Saltz, borrowing a term from dialectical behavior therapy, said we are not in our “wise mind.”

“But we can ‘stay wise’ by doing physiological things to calm our system. And it’s things like adding five minutes of deep, rhythmic breathing to the morning and evening, or progressive muscle relaxation,” she said.

Another activity that has been proven to reduce stress is walking, preferably in nature.

“There are many things to reduce physiological anxiety, which can take on a life of its own, so you can make better choices for your mental health and the mental health of your family,” she said.